28 April 2023 - UCISA Plus One Reflections - Adam Mitchell
23 March 2023 – UCISA23 Leadership Conference (Plus One Attendee)
Adam Mitchell
Head Of Solution Development
Anglia Ruskin University
This was my first UCISA conference; I had a mix of excitement and uncertainty of what to expect. I had attended many conferences over my years, across different sectors, but mainly of a technical nature, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from a leadership conference hosted by an organisation who were renowned in the field.
I knew there would be lots of great talks, I knew there would be lots of vendors there, I knew there would be fellow attendees also working in higher-education, and I knew there were events lined up in the evenings. What I didn’t know was how this would all come together and would it capture my interest across the whole event.
I was attending with my manager, and his manager, so I was in many ways the rookie. Both of them had been to many UCISA conferences in the past and were very familiar with the format and events.
We arrived in Liverpool on the evening before the conference and checked into our hotel, which was bang opposite the conference centre. No sooner after checking in did we make our way to the evening event, which was with other attendees; a mix of speakers, first-time attendees, and people who has been to many UCISA conferences. It helped set the scene on what to expect, plus also got me eager to get started.
The next morning, I made my way to the conference centre – it was a very large and impressive place and UCISA had gone all out to set the place up well. Registration was a doddle, and I received my name badge and starter pack ready for the event. As I made my way down the stairs I could hear the rumble of a healthy and enthusiastic crowd; when I got downstairs I was met with a sea of people and what seemed like endless stalls of different vendors and experts in the field of leadership and higher-education; the energy was intense in the place and the excitement built as I took a lap around the venue and was greeted by lots of different people.
I recognised so many of the vendors there from the multiple systems we have in place at our university; it was great to see them there. There were also competitions going on too, raffles, and even a mini-golf challenge; it was all really well done and lots of enthusiasm and drive in the whole place.
On the first day I attended the Newcomers Session, which I would say is a must if it’s your first time. This set the scene well and explained what the event was all about; encouraging us to be selective of the sessions whilst there and generally not get overwhelmed by it all. It also allowed us the newcomers to say hello to each other and affiliate ourselves for the journey ahead over the conference. It was here that I met other colleagues also working in my field and even a couple of people with the same job-title as myself but at different universities. This was the icebreaker I needed and got me into the conference spirit.
So that was me all set up and ready to throw myself into the conference; the talks and presentations were all really good, I was selective to which I attended and was not disappointed with what I learnt from hearing from others in their talks about their experiences in the same field as mine, plus tips, techniques, and where they see the industry heading. The talks were timed really well and the speakers were all clearly well versed in their field.
In summary, it was an enjoyable, inspiring, educational, and inclusive experience. The talks were great, the endless array of vendors was really helpful, and the energy across the 3 days there was always at a high. I look forward to attending my next UCISA conference, and I hope to see you there too!
